Lwati December 2007, Number 42

* LWATI *

The monthly e-newsletter of the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT)

December 2007, Number 42

http://www.sangonet.org.za

"Lwati" is an isiSwati word meaning information.

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS
<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION
<> ICT SERVICES
<> NETWORKING AND OUTREACH
<> CONTACT DETAILS

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS

Welcome to the 42nd edition of SANGONeT´s monthly e-newsletter!

It is hard to believe that it is almost the end of 2007, and with it, the last edition of Lwati for the year.

It has been a very busy year for SANGONeT and we have worked hard to live up to our core mission of supporting the effective use of ICTs by NGOs in the Southern African region.

Our main achievements of the past year include the ongoing development and implementation of the SANGONeT NGO and Development Information Portal, the weekly NGO Pulse e-newsletter, monthly Lwati e-newsletter, NGO CEO Circle and the SANGOTeCH Technology Donation Portal; implementation of various training and capacity-building projects in support of telecentres in South Africa; planning and implementation of the three-year Civic Journalism in Africa project; organising the 2007 SANGONeT “ICTs for Civil Society” Conference and Exhibition and NGO Web Awards 2007; and producing “The SANGONeT Story, 1987-2007” to coincide with the conference and SANGONeT’s twentieth anniversary celebrations.

In recent months most of our attention focused on the compilation of a new SANGONeT publication, Prodder - NGOs and Development in South Africa 2008, to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of both SANGONeT and Prodder.

The launch of the new Prodder Directory on 29 November 2007, held in conjunction with the first NGO CEO Summit hosted by SANGONeT, was therefore an appropriate way to conclude our twentieth anniversary celebrations.

Looking ahead, 2008 will present SANGONeT with many new challenges and opportunities, and I hope to elaborate on this in the next edition of Lwati.

The NGO environment continues to be characterised by the closure and collapse of key NGOs, influenced by increased competition for funding and related opportunities. The role, position and development impact of the NGO sector in South Africa are issues that should concern all NGOs and related stakeholders, and hopefully these issues will receive more meaningful attention in the New Year.

As this is the last Lwati of 2007, I would like to wish all our clients, partners, funders, supporters and Lwati readers a happy and peaceful festive season. Thank you for your support during the past year and I wish you a wonderful and prosperous 2008!

As always, we are very interested in how you think we could best serve the NGO sector with relevant ICT products and services. Please send us your views, comments and suggestions.

Best wishes

David Barnard (dbarnard@sangonet.org.za)

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<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION (CSI) PROGRAMME

# SANGONeT NGO Portal

Every year from 25 November - 10 December, civil society organisations and gender activists rally together and fight more vigorously for the realisation of gender equality. In an effort to generate debate around this issue, the SANGONeT Portal featured articles stressing the urgent need to uphold gender equality and human rights in South Africa.

In addition, the monthly polls on the portal remain an interesting tester of views on issues of national significance. The November poll question sought to determine whether the political role of NGOs in South Africa is diminishing.

It is heartening to note that the majority of the voters hold the view that civil society’s role in this regard is increasing, rather than decreasing. However, this view was contrasted by those who contend that the political role of NGOs is indeed diminishing. A very small minority of people maintained that NGOs’ role in this respect is stagnating.

The results of the poll, which was taken by 150 voters, are as follow:

• 56% (84 votes) No, it is increasing
• 21.3% (32 votes) Yes, to a significant degree
• 13.3% (20 votes) Yes, to a limited degree
• 9.3% (14 votes) It is stagnating

As always, the CSI team continued to produce relevant civil society and development-related content for the portal. Key articles produced during November 2007 include the following:

Taking Stock of Progress Made

NGO Profile: Open Disclosure Foundation

A Sense of Ownership for our Human Rights

Where are the Grassroots in Africa’s Development Agenda?

Why Know Your Status?

The State of ICTs in the South African NGO Sector

The Prodder Story, 1987-2007

For more information about the SANGONeT NGO Portal, please contact Badumile Duma at SANGONeT on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or
badumile@sangonet.org.za.

Prodder - NGOs and Development in South Africa 2008

The new Prodder Directory is now available from SANGONeT’s office in Braamfontein.

To order your copy, please refer to the information about the book on www.prodder.org.za or send an e-mail to prodder@sangonet.org.za, specifying your interest to order the book (R350 VAT inclusive plus postage).

# SANGONeT Development Calendar 2008

SANGONeT is currently compiling its 2008 Development Calendar, which will once again be produced in the form of a year planner. The Calendar, to be released in January 2008, will cover a comprehensive list of international, African and South African dates (e.g. World AIDS Day, 1 December) of significance to people involved in development and civil society issues.

If you know of any dates and events which should be included in the calendar, please forward the information by 14 December 2007 to info@sangonet.org.za.

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<> ICT SERVICES

# SANGOTeCH Online Technology Donations Portal

South African NGOs interested in ordering software available on SANGOTeCH should first check their general eligibility for the programme at http://www.sangotech.org/eligibility.

The product catalogue can be viewed at http://store.sangotech.org/directory

For more information about SANGOTeCH, as well as to receive regular updates about new products and services, please refer to http://www.sangotech.org or contact us on 086 110 6443 or support@sangotech.org

# TASA Meeting

SANGONeT hosted a two-day meeting for representatives of the Telecentre Association of South Africa (TASA) from 8-9 November 2007 in Braamfontein.

Supported by telecentre.org, the meeting formed part of a project aimed to support the institutional development of TASA and reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing telecentres in South Africa.

# Citizen Journalism Project: Training of Trainers

The first training session of the SANGONeT and Hivos Citizen Journalism Project was held from 26-30 November 2007 in Johannesburg. Participants from South Africa and Zimbabwe covered topics such as media regulation, writing skills, news gathering, new media and technology, as well as facilitation and training skills. The South African participants were from Behind the Mask and Fahamu, and those from Zimbabwe were from MISA and Kubatana.

The training was conducted by SANGONeT’s ICT Services Manager, Matthew de Gale, and Brett Davidson from the Arts and Media Access Centre (AMAC).

# Technology Consulting

SANGONeT offers a range of customised online applications that include
social networking portals, online directories and constituent relationship management solutions. We also offer a linked technical support desk service.

For more information on how we can assist you, please contact Matthew de Gale at SANGONeT on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or matthew@sangonet.org.za

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<> NETWORKING AND OUTREACH

SANGONeT’s Executive Director, David Barnard, attended the APC Council meeting from 5-7 November 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

SANGONeT’s Information Coordinator, Butjwana Seokoma, attended a policy dialogue meeting convened by the People’s Budget Campaign from 15-16 November 2007 at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre in Johannesburg. The theme under discussion was “Energy and Comprehensive Security”.

SANGONeT’s Executive Director, David Barnard, attended the launch of three monitoring products by African Monitor on 19 November 2007 in Cape Town. The products include Development Support Monitor 2007, Grassroots - The Missing Link in Aid Delivery and Development Support, and the Grassroots Focus Index.

He also attended the MobileActive07 meeting from 24-25 November 2007 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

SANGONeT’s Information Coordinator, Butjwana Seokoma, attended a dialogue and regional video conference, organised by Gender Links in partnership with the Gender and Media Southern African (GEMSA) Network, World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC), on 27 November 2007 in Johannesburg. The aim of the event was to score the progress made in addressing gender violence in Southern Africa.

SANGONeT’s Portal Editor, Badumile Duma, attended a seminar organised by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) to discuss “Where is the Money to Address Gender-Based Violence?” on 30 November 2007 in Braamfontein.

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<> CONTACT DETAILS

SANGONeT
P O Box 31392
2017 Braamfontein
SOUTH AFRICA

29th Floor, UCS Building
209 Smit Street
Braamfontein

Tel: (+27) (11) 403-4935
Fax: (+27) (11) 403-0130
E-mail: newsletter@sangonet.org.za
WWW: http://www.sangonet.org.za

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CopyLeft. 2007. SANGONeT.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and modify this document. Please provide an acknowledgment to SANGONeT.

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